1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device having an IC card slot into which an IC card is removably inserted, and particularly to a technique for cooling an IC card inserted into the IC card slot of the electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable electronic device such as a note-type personal computer has been required to be reduced in size and weight along with enhanced/expanded functions, and to meet these incompatible requirements, there has been adopted a structure having an IC card slot into which an IC card prepared under a standard of PCMCIA, etc. is removably inserted. The IC card, which is prepared for each extension function (expansion memory, communication modem, hard disk unit, etc.), is produced, for example by a method wherein a printed wiring board mounted with electronic parts such as an LSI is covered with a resin material by resin molding in the form of a card-shape or it is contained in a box-like metal card housing. The IC card is inserted into an IC card slot by a user, as needed.
An IC card slot provided in an electronic device has guide rail portions for guiding both side portions of an IC card and a connector to which a connector provided at a leading end portion of the IC card is fittingly connected. The guide rail portions, generally made of a resin material, are fixed on a mother board (printed wiring board) by screws, and the mother board in such a state is contained in a housing of the electronic device. A housing of the electronic device has at a portion corresponding to the IC card slot an opening through which the IC card is to be inserted. The IC card is introduced through the opening, and further inserted along the guide rail portions until the connector provided at the leading end portion of the IC card is fitted to the connector of the IC card slot, to be thus mounted in the electronic device.
The recent tendency toward higher integration of such an IC card increases an amount of heat generated from the IC card, and further, it is being examined to mount a CPU having an extremely large amount of heat generation on the IC card. However, since the related art electronic device has failed to take any special measure for cooling an IC card, there have arisen problems that the IC card suffers malfunction or failure due to heating of the IC card by self-heat generation thereof, obstructing the higher integration of the IC card, and that it is difficult to mount an electronic part having a large amount of heat generation such as a CPU. In addition, there has arisen a further problem that since heat generated from an IC card makes the IC card hot even though it does not cause any malfunction, the hot IC card gives a discomfort feeling to a user when he takes it from an electronic device after use.